I've been debating writing this post for quite a while now as its a topic very close to my heart and extremely personal. I realised that if I can help raise awareness, then it's worth talking about. 

March is brain tumour awareness month, and the 24th March is wear a hat day (more on that in a minute) so I thought it was the perfect time to talk about it. Now, cancer is scary and we all know that, and many people don't like talking about it but I believe awareness still needs to be raised. 

Brain Tumour Research only receives less than 1% national cancer research spending in the UK, yet more children and adults under 40 die from brain tumours than any other cancer. That's some scary statistics, and I honestly wasn't even personally aware of these stats until it became a topic close to my heart. 

This month, Brain Tumour Research are holding their annual 'Wear A Hat Day' which is a way of raising money for the charity, and it's as easy as it sounds. If you sign up you will be sent a free fundraising pack and go from there. This is a simple but fun way to raise money and can be quite a laugh at the same time. If you're interested in signing up, you still have time to do so just follow this link here. Or if this doesn't take your fancy there is an A-Z of ideas for fundraising which you can view here. 

This post may not be written very well, however it's been quite difficult for me to write about this and I just wanted to raise awareness surrounding Brain Tumour Research. 

Have you ever heard of Wear A Hat Day before?

In a two days I'll be turning 21, on Thursday to be exact. It's quite an odd feeling, I'll technically be a 'real' adult (even though that was also meant to happen when I turned 18) and I don't feel like I'm ready at all.

I don't really know where this post is going but in my head I'm sort of just screaming that I can't believe in almost 21?! Haha! I remember being in school and thinking 21 year olds had their lives together and were organised, knew what they were doing with themselves etc where as half the time I can't find a pair of socks to wear!! 

I'm going out with my friends and boyfriend the night before my birthday and then going to an indoor trampoline centre on my actual birthday which I'm looking forward to. I'm also going home this weekend so I can see my family (and cats) and go for a meal which will be lovely!

Any advice for me turning 21?! (Haha, what an odd question to leave my post on). 

I can't believe that 2015 is coming to an end, and I'm going to sound like every other person right now but this year has gone so quickly! I've almost (sort of) finished my final year at uni which is a scary thought and I'm almost 21?! How all these things have come around so quickly, I'm not quite sure how.

So today I'm sharing with you my personal goals for 2016 which will be followed by a beauty edition very soon.

1. Graduate | I can't believe that I'll (hopefully) graduate in 2016 with a degree in Psychology. I seems like forever ago that I was starting to think about going to uni yet since I've started it's gone so quickly. I really can't get over the fact it's my last year as a student and I really don't like the uncertainty of next year, but I'm also excited. 

2. Become healthier | This may seem like one everyone does, but some of you may remember in summer I joined Slimming World and I've fallen off the band wagon since going back to uni. I really want to start eating healthily again and I'm going to try and stick to it this time as when I was following SW it really worked for me.

3. Become more confident | This links with my goal above as I'm really not a confident person and I hate it. So hopefully, one day I'll be more comfortable and confident within myself. 

4. Be more organised | I've been really trying these past few weeks to be more organised as it's something I struggle with. I'm not a naturally organised person, so a diary is a must for me but hopefully in 2016 I'll stop leaving things until last minute!

5. Read more | When I went on holiday in summer I read 5 books in two weeks which is an achievement for me as I struggle with reading. I always have the intention to read, but sadly end up watching Netflix or makeup videos instead - not that there's anything wrong with that, I just want to spend less time watching Netflix haha!

What are your goals for 2016? Have you decided yet?

I'll start out by saying I was in no way an easy child (or teenager) at all, I was 'challenging' to say the least, and that's being kind. My parents have the patience of saints and I'm not sure how they did it if I'm honest. 

I was thinking earlier today about how many things my Mum told me when I was younger that I didn't quite believe, but she was right. Today I'm sharing with you some of the things that my Mum was right about, even though it took me a while to believer her on some of these.

1 | Don't over pluck your eyebrows

Okay this one seems obvious, but I was convinced I knew what I was doing with my eyebrows and I didn't. I shouldn't have over plucked them or plucked them at all actually, natural brows are best when you're younger.

2 | Appreciate small boobs, they're good too

This one may seem menial, but I have was always really conscious of having small boobs. All of my friends had bigger boobs than me, everyone on TV and magazines had boobs and I didn't, and it used to really get me down. My Mum told me one day I'd be grateful for small boobs and now I am. I can get away without wearing a bra if I'm being lazy, I can wear certain crop tops without having to worry my boobs will pop out and I don't get back ache from them.

3 | If he doesn't treat you like a Queen, he's not worth it

This is one I only realised recently, but My Mum has always told me that if a male doesn't treat me like a Queen, he's not worth it. I never believed her because I thought I deserved to be treated 'badly' (nb: not talking anything serious or detrimental to my physical or mental health, just being ignored and belittled etc.) and I don't. Every girl deserves to be treated like a Queen by your partner, and don't let anyone ever tell you different.

4 | It doesn't matter if you're single

I've never had a boyfriend and yes I am 20 years old. My Mum always told me I didn't need a man to be complete and that I can be happy without relying on a boyfriend or partner. She was right, and I should have listened sooner. I mean, I've never been overly bothered about being single but certain times like Valentines Day and the such I would be a little down. As you can see from this conversation with my Mum below, she's always got my back.

5| Do what makes you happy

I'm very lucky in the fact that my Mum has always wanted me to follow my dreams and do what makes me happy. She's always been supportive and told me all she ever wants is for me to be happy. It doesn't matter if I'm not earning millions, as long as I'm happy with my career and my life that's what matters.

This is quite a personal post for me, probably the most personal on my blog so I hope you enjoyed reading it.

Can you relate to any of these?

I love blogging and reading other beauty blogs but when I'm not doing that I have a few other guilty pleasures and I thought it would be fun to share those with you today.

Watching Coffee Art Tutorials

I can make basic coffee and at uni I have a coffee machine but I have no idea how to do coffee art. Saying that I will happily spend hours watching coffee art tutorials and videos on Youtube.

School Supplies Shopping

I love shopping for school supplies and I love stationery in general. I will spend hours and hours watching school supplies hauls on Youtube and then getting sad that I can't buy the same things as most of the videos are from American Youtubers. I'm also so excited to buy stationery for uni this year (even though I definitely don't need anything). 

Browsing Homeware Online

I don't own my own house yet and I'm nowhere near being close to looking at places to live independently but that doesn't stop me from browsing homeware all the time. I've recently been adding loads of homeware items to my basket and then realising I don't need them and can't justify buying them.

Browsing Flickr 

I love photography and have done for as long as I can remember. Before I was into blogging or Youtube I used to spend hours and hours everyday browsing Flickr, finding inspiration and being amazed by other photographers' work. I'll still do the same now, and I really want to buy a new lens for my camera but I won't be doing that until I've graduated!

Looking at Old Photos

I mean really old photos from when I was a baby, not when I was an awkward 11 year old or even worse, an awkward 13 year old. I refuse to look at photos from when I was 11-14 because I just cringe too much but I love looking at old family photos from when I was a cute baby. 

What are your guilty pleasures? Do we share any of the same ones?

p.s. happy Friday!!

As most of you know I went on holiday to Dorset with my parents last week and I thought I'd share some of my favourite photos with you all. Don't worry I'm not posting hundreds, just a small handful as I really love photography and I'm impressed with some of my photos if I do say so myself!

Bournemouth hot air balloon

The Cath Kidston beach huts on Bouremouth beach are beautiful

Have you been on holiday this year? Or if not, where would you like to go?

I've been wanting to write this post for a while, but I've never been sure where to start. Life isn't always simple and there's usually a few bumps along the journey. The past few years have been challenging for me, for personal reasons which I've not mentioned on my blog before and I'm not ready to yet, but maybe one day. I love the quote "If it's not okay, it's not the end".

However, despite the past few years being difficult things are now looking up, even if it's in the smallest ways. I believe happiness is subjective to the individual, however for me I'm happier now than I have been in years and it's such a great feeling.

I've finished my second year at uni and I now have 4 months until I'm back. It's so nice to be back at home with my family, friends and pets. Although I miss my uni friends, I know I'll be seeing them in less than a month and we have plans over summer.

I'm not really sure which direction this post is going, but I just wanted to say that even if things may not be great for you right now, they will improve. Things will get better, and I know that's cliche and it may take time but it will be okay.